Grading Washington Redskins' Final 53-Man Roster

Rosters have been cut to 53 players, which means that the NFL's regular season is officially here. For the Washington Redskins and new head coach Jay Gruden, it means that the transition from the previous regime to now will finally be put to the test.

As a first-year head coach, Gruden's roster moves and cuts will be heavily scrutinized throughout the season.

There weren't many surprise cuts made, and most of the roster was more or less established coming out of the third preseason game—if not before then.

Even though the franchise just underwent a major coaching change, the roster doesn't look vastly different from last season's or that of the year before, when the Redskins won the NFC East with a 10-6 record.

Here's a look at how the Redskins' final 53-man roster grades out thus far.

Wide Receiver

The Redskins didn’t have any difficult decisions to make with this unit. Garcon and Jacskon are unquestioned top receivers, Roberts and Moss are speedy slot targets, Robinson is a deep threat and Grant has some of the best hands of his rookie class.

If there is one question that remains, it is how Leonard Hankerson—who is still on the PUP list—factors into the unit when he is eligible to return after Week 6.

Health would be the only concern for these receivers. Garcon and Jackson have missed time with foot and hamstring issues in the past.

Offensive Line

With the exception of Williams and Lichtensteiger, there are a lot of unknowns along the offensive line. Lauvao was signed away from the Cleveland Browns and has not established himself as either a good or bad player.

While Chester and Polumbus are good run-blocking linemen, they're liabilities in pass protection.

The decision to only keep one center is interesting, though Chester or LeRibeus are capable of stepping in if necessary. The Redskins need Moses and Long—or even Compton—to step up and supplant Chester and Polumbus as starters.

Defensive Line

With Stephen Bowen still on the PUP list, the Redskins had to keep Geathers and Kearse, though the latter is likely to be waived to make room when Bowen is capable of returning.

Cofield is the only nose tackle listed, but defensive coordinator Jim Haslett showed his willingness—as well as his personnel’s ability—to rotate and plug and play anyone at any position along the defensive line.

Baker, Hatcher and Jenkins can move inside just as easily as Cofield can move outside. Versatility will be a key to the defensive line being productive.

Linebacker

The outside linebackers will be a key to defensive success for the Redskins, and the trio of Kerrigan, Murphy and Orakpo could be scary for opposing offenses when all three are on the field at once.

Miller—a converted tight end in his second season—Compton, Jordan and Hayward offer special teams play.

A healthy Robinson has already outplayed Riley on the inside and looks capable of being the physical replacement for London Fletcher, even if he has yet to reach that point of leadership and experience.

Darryl Sharpton didn’t make the cut despite having the most experience of any of the Redskins' offseason additions at linebacker. He could have played special teams but lacked the experience of his competition.

Safety

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Ryan Clark, Duke Ihenacho, Trenton Robinson, Bacarri Rambo

Brandon Meriweather is slated to miss the first two games while he serves his suspension stemming from his hit on Baltimore Ravens receiver Torrey Smith. He’ll be a part of the active roster thereafter.

Ihenacho is a young player who was inconsistent last season but has the makings of a good strong safety. It remains to be seen how quickly he'll be thrown into the mix for the Redskins, but he could create a safety controversy if he proves to be better than Meriweather.

Clark is the best free safety the Redskins have had in recent years, though that isn’t exactly a compliment. A few years ago, Clark would have been an unquestioned asset, but he has lost a step in the past few seasons.

Rambo and Robinson will be the primary backups for Clark and Ihenacho.

Phillip Thomas wasn't exactly a surprising cut and could still land on the practice squad. He needs to show he can stay healthy long enough to deliver on the promise the coaches have seen in him.

Cornerback

It is a little surprising to see the Redskins only carry five cornerbacks on the roster, but you can’t argue with the group they decided to keep.

Hall and Amerson will be the top corners while a rotation of Biggers, Porter and the rookie Breeland will handle nickel and dime duties.

If the pass rush excels as it should, the Redskins' corners will have a much easier time and could thrive with ball hawks like Amerson and Hall.

Biggers has the versatility to play some safety in a pinch, making him more valuable than Chase Minnifield and Richard Crawford, who were fighting for roster spots.

Both Crawford and Minnifield have had injury troubles, though Minnifield had all but overcome his in the last year. Crawford has special teams potential, proving to be an excellent punt returner as a rookie, but hasn’t had the chance to show his skills as a cover man.

Special Teams

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Kai Forbath, Tress Way, Nick Sundberg

Despite a solid if unimpressive preseason performance, Kai Forbath won the kicking competition over Zach Hocker. Hocker wasn’t consistently better than Forbath on kickoffs, which was the primary reason the Redskins wanted to look at another kicker.

Seeing Robert Malone cut in favor of Tress Way, who was signed to the roster less than two weeks ago, is a bit of a shock.

It is possible that the Redskins will pursue a more permanent option before the start of the season. Way managed to outdo Malone on just four punts in two preseason appearances.

Longtime Buffalo Bills punter Brian Moorman was cut and could be a short-term solution.

Punting could be a game-changer for the Redskins, and not having the situation figured out at this point is a concern.

Practice Squad

The Redskins released their practice squad roster, and while it doesn't feature many surprises in terms of inclusions, there is one glaring omission that should be highlighted.

The big surprise is the absence of rookie Lache Seastrunk. He registered 25 carries for 121 yards during preseason and had two catches for 88 yards as well as a touchdown in the preseason finale.

Thompson, for all of his potential as a special teams contributor, sat out of two preseason games and wasn't nearly as productive as Seastrunk.

Seeing Crawford and Minnifield on the practice squad is encouraging, since both are loaded with potential and really just need a chance to show it.

Bolser gives the Redskins a special teams ace for the future, should they ever choose to move on from Niles Paul.

Thomas being on the practice squad is probably the best situation for him and the Redskins. They get to keep an eye on a young player with a bright future while he gets to work back to full health and catch up after missing his rookie season.